The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program was designed to increase the stature and academic standing of nursing faculty and draw more nurses to teaching careers by creating a cadre of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards to outstanding junior nursing faculty.Thus far, this program has accepted four cohorts (2008 -2011) totaling 54 RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholars. The first cohort (2008) completed the program in 2011. The cohorts are diverse (men and other underrepresented minorities) and the Scholars come from large research intensive universities as well as smaller non-research intensive colleges. During this fifth year of the Nurse Faculty Scholars program, the National Program Office (NPO) will provide technical assistance to the Scholars, match the Scholars with national nursing mentors, work closely with the National Advisory Committee to review the program goals and outcomes over the past three years, develop an orientation meeting for the new cohort with a cohort building experience, and conduct two seminars to support the core academic leadership curriculum. The call for applications for the 2012 cohort was released on October 20, 2011. Twelve Scholars will be selected for the 2012 cohort.